Are You Listening? 2025 (Studying)

Are You Listening? Pageant 
Studying 
ninth & tenth Could 2025

Studying’s Are You Listening? Pageant is now in it’s 12th yr. Keith Goldhanger makes the annual journey to the Berkshire capital for an additional multi-venue occasion. 

After festivals like this you may solely come away congratulating your self on any good choices made if there are good decisions obtainable within the first place. This years Are You Listening? Pageant appeared adequate to go to for each days and proved to be the most effective weekends since we started attending this annual occasion. Held throughout seven venues with over forty artists to selected from, not solely did the acts we determined to goal for really feel like the proper ones nevertheless it appeared to coincide with lots of them taking part in one of the best reveals we’ve seen by them to this point. 

This doesn’t imply the line-up was stuffed with bands we’ve already seen earlier than although. Friday night inside Saint Laurence Church launched one or two of us for the primary time to Manchester trio Yaang. There was as soon as a time a few years in the past after we had been inundated with guitar bands utilizing drum machines. Yaang have reminded us how ace this sounds. Fronted by a hyperactive singer who spends the brief set dancing repeatedly whether or not singing or not and bookended by two companions that seem like taking this much more critically than the entrance man, it is a fabulous begin to the proceedings. Standing inside a giant church on a sunny Friday night watching a shirtless man with a deadpan look on his face in entrance of a statue of Jesus on a cross is a weird strategy to start any weekend nevertheless it units the scene properly for what lies forward.

Mandrake Handshake comply with and it feels as if we’re witnessing Stereolab taking part in Psychedelic hymns. They’re shaking tambourines, maracas, a triangle comes out and there’s a number of different percussion that we don’t know the names of. They’re hypnotising us with the 2 vocalists, two trippy guitars and a hippie synth. If we’d walked into this at three AM at a competition we’d in all probability stroll away quick nevertheless experiencing this because the solar goes down feels good. Their single Hypersonic Tremendous-Astrid manages to final rather less than ten minutes. It’s the tune that drew us right here, it’s the tune that we’re glad we acquired to see performed stay and we’d do it once more.

Sprints are loud, brutal and straight in our faces as they handle to show this fabulous church into one massive mosh pit as they thrash away at not solely the acquainted tunes from their debut album Letter to Self however some equally big songs from a forthcoming second album it’s believed might have already been recorded. Heavy is accompanied by the raucous crowd singing alongside, How Does The Story Go? Nonetheless sounds as nice as the primary time we heard it and the entire expertise is one which’s quickly anticipated to be replicated in a lot bigger environments over the subsequent couple of years. They’ve all of the components required to draw big crowds now ; Large grungy riffs, sing alongside choruses and an viewers ready within the wings that will not but have even found these but. It’s solely a matter of time in fact earlier than the general public will get what we all know they need. There’ll be some fabulous instances forward for Sprints and this was one for the watching crowd to soak in simply because it was when Idles performed this occasion a while in the past. 

The solar is shining, the crowds are out early and day two presents us with a couple of venue and an enormous checklist of bands to be seen or missed for these of us unable to be in two locations on the identical time. 

We begin the day within the noon solar taking a look at native singer-songwriter Ben Marwood entertaining not simply the wristband queue however these already sat comfortably in entrance of him who’re acquainted sufficient along with his music to be visibly singing alongside to his songs. We return to the place we ended the earlier night again contained in the cooler Saint Laurence Church the place South London outfit Y are nonchalantly treating us to some unfamiliar tunes nevertheless the acquainted sound of Women Who and Why? hit the spot and preserve the excessive customary of performances seen inside this constructing up to now this weekend.

We realise that a number of acts we wish to see are showing inside this venue at present and stay for the fabulous Ziyad Al-Samman who appears to get higher and higher each time we cross paths with this Jordan born performer. The phrase Eurovision is talked about a minimum of as soon as each time he performs nevertheless that is solely a visible statement. At this time he offers a collection of songs that MGMT (bear in mind them?) would have been happy with. Each tune a banger, each face within the room is smiling, individuals are dancing already and nobody inside this venue will go away wishing they had been elsewhere. This was a wonderful efficiency as soon as once more.

The times eclectic line-up is beginning to be observed because the candy fragile sound of Honeyglaze calms us down earlier than a brisk stroll alongside the road to witness one other present by the unbelievable Advantages who but once more by no means disappoint with their intense, energetic, digital assault on our ears. It’s encouraging that this duo persevering with to attract extra individuals into their reveals and get airtime on our favorite radio stations in a world that appears saturated with bouncy verses and sing alongside choruses. Watching a Advantages efficiency is invigorating. The noise made between the 2 is surprisingly comforting, interrupted from time to time by Kingsley politely thanking us all for being there after which giving us one thing harsh, difficult and extra importantly, totally different. At every other time throughout our lives music like this may have be saved on the again burner and saved for inclusion in occasions of a extra aggressive nature. The existence and inclusion of Advantages at occasions comparable to that is encouraging for others on the market making music that challenges our ears, the institution and displays on a few of the disagreeable segments of the world we stay in at present with uncooked emotion and sincerity. Their nod (extra of a headbutt) to Born Slippy that closes the present is a superb second too. Yet one more ten out of ten efficiency. 

Doops sound promising for the brief period of time we catch them over at Sub 89 nevertheless we’re merely popping in on our means again to what we will name our ‘pleased place’ this weekend (St Laurence Church) for what we all know can be a perfect setting for musician, poet, all spherical entertainer and wonderful human being Josh Idehen. He begins by describing the earlier 24 hours of his life. This in itself comes throughout like a murals, rigorously scripted and vastly entertaining. It isn’t scripted in fact, he’s simply arrived from Vienna having misplaced a few of his possessions and a few required sleep. His interplay with the attentive viewers is second to none as he encourages us to all take just a few seconds to introduce ourselves to one another within the crowd and take part in a ‘Nigerian wave’ (like a Mexican wave however from entrance to again not aspect to aspect). His informal chat morphs seamlessly into Don’t You Give Up On Me and our ft begin transferring with out us realising. Be taught To Swim and Mum Does The Washing are aired and given the respect from the viewers every bit deserves and as one, we return outdoors to the brilliant sunshine noticing that everybody is leaving with an enormous smile on their face, feeling blessed and feeling they means one ought to be after exiting a constructing comparable to this. 

Nathan Faux is a producer and digital music artist offering a perfect soundtrack for anybody wanting to listen to some inspiring dance music at three AM in a darkish room. At this time although it’s nonetheless early night, the solar continues to be shining and for this second in time can also be the proper soundtrack to go with a a lot wanted relaxation on the pavement outdoors. 

Belfast band Makeshift Artwork Bar sound like a band we’re all going to like someday nevertheless they fail to look. This was the one disappointment of the day solely made up by the truth that we’ve now discovered one other noisy band that want investigating one other day. 

Large Particular’s efficiency we count on can be busy in an hour or two so we’ll finish our day at Sub 89 in preparation and watch Coach Celebration who a few of us haven’t seen since 2023 once they performed the identical venue on the identical occasion. As soon as the primary three songs have been thrown out at pace, we realise that this isn’t going to decelerate. It’s an exciting show of blistering guitar music that the Pixies as soon as offered every time they put their ft down onerous on the accelerator. Tonight, the band that by no means lose momentum and for somewhat over half an hour handle to cram as many tunes as they will into their allotted slot leaving us breathless and barely regretful that we’ve not given this band extra consideration beforehand.

Midlands duo Large Particular don’t serve up something that surprises us anymore. A small criticism for these of us who haven’t crossed paths with them because the launch of debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues that got here out (we’re advised) precisely a yr in the past. 

The duo are extra assured with their banter with the massive crowd inside this venue tonight. Dig, Shithouse and Bushes are the timeless classics a few of us knew they’d be after we first set our eyes and ears on them. We get a poem or two in addition to the now compulsory stroll into the gang that we’re advised Joe has now taken upon himself to do at most of their reveals these days. It’s nice seeing them attract such an enthusiastic giant crowd, one which we at all times anticipated from the primary time we set eyes and ears on them.  

Are You Listening ? Pageant didn’t finish there although. Pageant favourites AK/DK had been nonetheless taking part in down the highway, there have been one or two different bands and DJ’s nonetheless but to grace one or two levels however for these of us London sure we name it a day to reminisce on what we determine has been our favorite Are You Listening? Pageant up to now. Two of the venues we didn’t even step foot inside this yr. We’re certain that many others did and got here away with totally different experiences all collectively. 

The choice decisions obtainable appeared simply as passable because the bands we noticed. We improvised our actions all through the competition and but once more got here away content material that but once more that is an annual occasion that may stay into our diaries. 

Be part of us once more subsequent yr for what’s at all times a fantastic occasion to attend earlier than the tenting gear comes out for the summer time. The prepare to and from central London solely takes twenty minutes.  

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Phrases and images by Keith Goldhanger. Extra writing by Keith on Louder Than Conflict could be discovered at his writer’s archive. You also can discover Keith on Fb  Instagram and Bluesky